Bogel Cacingen: Golf

Sunday, 13 November 2011

Blair O'Neal a Professional Golfer

Blair O'Neal was born May 14, 1981 in Macomb, Illinois and moved to Arizona at the age of two. At an early age Blair enjoyed ballet, jazz and cheer but she discovered at age 11 that golf is her passion and has been enamored with the game since.

At the age of 12, Blair's enjoyment of golf became a passion and her skill for the game was only matched by the focus and determination with which she practiced, all the while hoping to one day don the maroon and gold for Arizona State University and move on to realize her dream of being a professional golfer. With the goals she had set for herself, Blair practiced everyday with her father on the driving range long after sunset. The support from her family was what would catapult her golf career. At 13, she began playing on the American Junior Golf Association during the summer and enjoyed success after success in her junior golf career: a selection on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team in Valderrama, Spain; a selection to AJGA Cannon Cup Team; runner-up in the Woman's Western Tournament; a medalist at the AJGA Ping Phoenix Jr. Championship.

In high school, Blair was a double threat earning high marks in school and adding to her trophy collection on the golf course. She attended Corona del Sol High School, in Tempe, AZ, graduating in 1999. While earning a 3.8 GPA, she was a three-time medalist at the 5A Regional Golf Championship, four-time Golf MVP and the Arizona State Golf Champion in 1998-99. At the age of 17, her long time dream became a reality when she caught the attention of Arizona State University golf coach, Linda Vollstedt, who actively recruited Blair. As a Sun Devil, Blair competed in every golf event held during her four-year college career. She won 2 out of 3 NCAA Long Drive contests, making her one of the longest hitters in college golf.

After graduating as Captain of the golf team and with a degree in Communications (minor in Sociology), she began playing professional golf all over the United States, Japan, Thailand, Korea and China. Golf gave Blair the opportunity to travel the world and encounter many diverse cultures.

Blair became a Professional Golfer in January 2004 and has since she has competed in the West Coast Ladies Golf Tour, the Futures Tour and two events with the Orient Masters in China. In the summer of 2007, she was selected by Nike to teach with the Nike Golf School in San Diego, CA. In addition to being a professional golfer, the 5'10" blonde is represented by FORD Models and Sports Unlimited Talent who have presented her the opportunity to model on runways, print ads, catalogs, magazine covers, websites and commercial advertisements all over the U.S. and Asia.

In 2008 Blair was named by SPORTS ILLUSTRATED "One of the Hottest 50 Athletes of All-Time". Shortly after she gained votes from millions of web users, InGameNow.com, and Sports Illustrated in the "World's Hottest Athlete" contest in which she was voted into the Final Four among some of the greatest female athletes of our time. Her most recent venture will be airing on GOLF CHANNEL May, 2009. She is one of the newest selected cast members to compete on BIG BREAK: PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND!

Blair is a dedicated athlete with the looks and the personality that will brighten anyone's day. Her competitiveness and drive to be the best at what she loves is what makes her a truly unique individual equally gifted on the golf course and the runway.

Blair O'Neal

Blair O'Neal

Blair O'Neal Playing Link Angel

Blair O'Neal

Thursday, 10 November 2011

Alexis "Lexi" Thompson youngest US Open Golf Player

Alexis "Lexi" Thompson (born February 10, 1995) is an American professional golfer. At age 12, she was youngest golfer ever to qualify to play in the U.S. Women's Open. She turned professional in June 2010 at age 15. Thompson's two brothers are also golfers. Nicholas Thompson, her half brother, plays professionally on the PGA Tour and Curtis Thompson is a member of the Florida Junior Tour, who has committed to attend Louisiana State University. Alexis has been home-schooled, and stated she plans to complete her graduation from high school, while at the same time playing professional golf.

In 2007, as a 12-year-old, she became the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open. She shot 86-82 and failed to make the cut. In 2007, she also won the Aldila Junior Classic to become the second-youngest winner in AJGA. She also won the Westfield Junior PGA Championship to become the youngest winner in Junior PGA Championship history.

In 2008, she won the United States Girls' Junior Golf Championship. She qualified again in 2008 for U.S. Women's Open where she shot 75-87 and failed to make the cut by two strokes. In 2009, as a 14-year-old, she qualified for a third time for the U.S. Women's Open and made the cut for the first time, finishing tied for 34th, +11 (71-73-78-73=295). Later that year she Monday-qualified for the Navistar LPGA Classic, where she shot 65 in the first round and finished at T27, 12 strokes behind winner Lorena Ochoa.

In 2010, Thompson kept her amateur status for the first half of the year. As an amateur, she played in the Women's Australian Open, where she finished T16 (+3), 12 strokes behind winner Yani Tseng. She made the cut at the 2010 Kraft Nabisco Championship, finishing T24, +2 (74-72-73-71=290), 15 shots behind winner Yani Tseng. She represented the winning United States team in the Curtis Cup competition and went undefeated (4 wins and 1 half). She turned pro the next week, stating she believed her game was ready to make the jump to the LPGA Tour.

Thompson announced that she had turned pro on June 16, 2010. She signed sponsorship deals with Cobra-PUMA Golf and with Red Bull.Lacking official status as an LPGA Tour member, Thompson largely had to rely on sponsors' exemptions to gain entry into tournaments. Her first sponsor's exemption was entry into the ShopRite LPGA Classic where she missed the cut by four strokes.She played qualifiers held in Florida in May to gain entry to the U.S. Women's Open played July 8�11. She finished T10 at the tournament, +6 (73-74-70-73=290), 9 shots behind winner Paula Creamer and collected her first professional check for $72,131.

Two weeks later at the Evian Masters, Thompson finished T2, -13 (69-72-67-67=275), one shot behind the winner, and made $242,711. After three professional events, her earnings were $314,842, which would have ranked 18th on the official LPGA money list if she had been a member of the LPGA Tour. Her result from the Evian Masters caused her to rise 75 places to number 74 in the Women's World Golf Rankings. She played three more events on the LPGA Tour in 2010, missing the cut at the CN Canadian Women's Open, and finishing T16 and T57 in two additional events.

Thompson began playing in one-day tournaments on the Fuzion Minor League Golf Tour in October 2010. This is a developmental tour aimed at men trying to move up to the next level of professional golf. On the Fuzion Tour, women play with tees moved up so that they play 94% of the distance that the men play. She returned to play against women in February 2011 at the Women's Australian Open and the ANZ Ladies Masters, where she missed the cut and finished T42 respectively. Returning to the United States, she won a one-round Fuzion Tour event, on February 21, at her home course in Coral Springs, Floria. Tied after 18 holes, she beat Brett Bergeron on the second playoff hole, for her first professional win. In March, Thompson attempted the Monday qualifier for the LPGA Kia Classic, but she failed to qualify.

Thompson's first LPGA tournament in 2011 was the Avnet LPGA Classic, to which she received an entry as a sponsor's exemption. After 3 rounds, she was tied for the lead with Song-Hee Kim. On Sunday, her score soared to 78, including back-to-back double bogeys on the 14th and 15th holes. Thompson would finish tied for 19th at -1 (71-71-67-78=287), 9 strokes behind the winner, Maria Hjorth. She later attempted, but failed, to Monday qualify at two LPGA tournaments. She missed the cut at the ShopRite LPGA Clasic, the LPGA Championship and at the U.S. Women's Open before making the cut in the fifth LPGA tournament she played in 2011, the Evian Masters, where she finished tied for 36th.

Thompson successfully petitioned the LPGA to receive a waiver to the rule that LPGA Tour members must be at least 18 years old, allowing her to enter the LPGA Qualifying School for a chance to be an LPGA Tour member for 2012. The first of three stages was held July 26-29 at the LPGA International course in Daytona Beach, Florida. Since Thompson was not in the Top 100 of the Women's World Golf Rankings at the time, she was not exempt from the first stage and chose not to attempt to qualify to play in the Women�s British Open, which was held the same week.